There are two types of collectors. Many come to the hobby later in life, often by happenstance: meeting another collector and acquiring the contagion or seeing an object that speaks to them somehow. Others are born, perhaps with some sort of recessive gene – they begin as children when something sparks an interest. Bud Newman is in the “born” group – in the third grade he fell victim to the allure of stamp collecting and the collecting never stopped – only the categories changed. Later in life, with his wife Judy, early Pennsylvania furniture fell into one of their “had to have” categories, then onto American folk art including painted children’s sleds and decorated stoneware. Collecting board games came to Bud through his business, Newman & Co., a major force in paper recycling and cardboard manufacturing. The company was started by his grandfather in 1918. Among the major buyers of Newman’s specialty cardboard were game and toymakers, including Parker Brothers, Milton Bradley and Selchow & Righter. Seeing what they were producing with his product, combined with Bud’s interest in things of America’s past, it was only a matter of time before he discovered the magic of late 19th and early 20th century board games. Their appeal is two-fold, as early masterpieces of graphics and color lithography, as well as having much to tell us of our American past.
I first encountered Bud Newman in 1992, when I had the honor of offering at auction the collection of the pioneer game collector Herb Siegel. That sale was a watershed event for vintage game collecting, as well as in the personal journey of Buddy in his quest for these playthings of the past. Bud’s collection includes about thirty pieces from the Siegel auction. Our upcoming April 23rd, 2021 sale is the first installment of his amazing collection and it includes some of the earliest manufactured games: from the linen backed lithographed paper games of the 1820’s right up to the early baseball and football games of the late 19th and early 20th c. The largest groupings are the brightly colored lithographed games by such makers as McLoughlin, Parker Brothers, Bliss and Singer. Highlights include McLoughlin’s 1883 Bulls and Bears, a holy grail piece for game collectors. It brings to life the era’s stock market shenanigans of Jay Gould and Cornelius Vanderbilt.
Lot 241, McLoughlin Bros. Zimmer’s Base Ball Game, ca. 1893
Many games in the collection have cross-over appeal. The McLoughlin masterpiece Yellow Kid Ten Pins, is as sought after by game collectors as by enthusiasts of comic character items. Outcault’s Yellow Kid is considered the first American comic strip, and this game offers ten “kids” in all! The collection of sport’s games also appeals to two different collector constituencies. The highlight in this category is the astoundingly rare Zimmer’s Baseball Game, the colorful lithographed paper playing field displays portraits of eighteen baseball players of that era, with Buck Ewing and Amos Rule as catcher and pitcher, and, among others in the dugout, is Cy Young. The color lithography is by the incomparable McLoughlin Brothers. It is a “grail” piece for game as well as sports devotees with only ten believed to have survived.
Lot 38, Baltimore stoneware pitcher, ca. 1825
Bud’s collection is primarily games but also includes toys and puzzles made by some of the game makers. Along with almost 275 items from the game and toy collection, we will also be offering almost 200 pieces from Bud and Judy’s American folk art collection, including painted children’s sleds, New Hope impressionist paintings, decorated stoneware, paint decorated furniture, needlework samplers, and so much more.
Automatically Create New Unique Works of Art Every 28 Days
Still image from Generation 1 of REPLICATOR
NEW YORK – 2 April 2021 – Phillips is pleased to announce the sale of REPLICATOR by Mad Dog Jones, the first NFT to be offered by the auction house in company history. With an opening bid of $100, the work was created with the ability to generate new unique NFTs from itself every 28 days. REPLICATOR will be offered in an online-only auction, open for bidding to collectors around the globe on phillips.com from 12-23 April.
Edward Dolman, Phillips’ Chief Executive Officer, said, “Phillips is pleased to begin our NFT journey with such a hugely celebrated digital artist who has both shaped and transcended the crypto community. REPLICATOR is a first-of-its-kind work to appear at auction, redefining the expectations of a work of art as it draws a compelling relationship between medium and form. We look forward to bringing this exciting project to new audiences at Phillips and seeing its unique iterations and the future of this market unfold.”
Mad Dog Jones
According to artist Michah Dowbak, aka Mad Dog Jones, “REPLICATOR is the story of a machine through time. It is a reflection on forms of past groundbreaking innovation and serves as a metaphor for modern technology’s continuum. I’m interested to see how collectors will respond as the work evolves and the NFTs in their possession continue to create new generations.”
Best known for his cyberpunk, dystopian imagery that explores themes of beauty, nature and technology, Michah Dowbak a.k.a. Mad Dog Jones has risen to fame in the world of crypto art with the recent success of his Crash + Burn series of NFT artworks. Now a headliner in the first major NFT art exhibition at UCCA Center for Contemporary Art in Beijing, Mad Dog Jones continues to explore the possibilities of the medium with this new digital work.
Rebekah Bowling, Phillips’ Senior Specialist of 20th Century & Contemporary Art, said, “We are absolutely honored to have been entrusted with the sale of this multi-generational NFT. A gamechanger in the field, it uniquely links form, subject, and function as it is completely dependent on the capabilities of an NFT to exist and perform the role it’s been given.”
Insofar as the machine that proliferates copies produces various glitches in due course, REPLICATOR mimics not only its original image but also the utility of the machine it visually depicts through its programmed smart contract. From its genesis to its generations, REPLICATOR embodies the sensibility of our contemporary world today—anything can proliferate, but nothing is certain.
Bidding for REPLICATOR on phillips.com will take place in USD, but Phillips will accept USD or Ethereum as a form of payment.
To coincide with the launch, Jin Yu aka WOLFxLION, Farokh Sarmad, Paolo Moreno, and Ronen V will be hosting a series of discussions on Clubhouse with Mad Dog Jones, beginning on Friday, 2 April, at 12pm EDT. Please click here to join.
About the Artist
Michah Dowbak aka Mad Dog Jones is a multidisciplinary artist from Thunder Bay, Ontario, where he still resides. His works deftly interweave cyberpunk elements with the beauty and freedom of nature. As a lover of the wilderness, which was ever present where he grew up, he brings a fresh thematic to the metropolitan aesthetic, done up in citrus and neon tones of technology somehow rendered as a space naturally human. Over the last two years, he has created artworks for Run The Jewels, Deadmau5, Jabbawockeez, Conor McGregor, Maroon 5 and other artists. He has also designed watches and phone accessories for Diesel. Dowbak’s work was the subject of an IRL exhibit titled AFTERL-IFE WORLD in Tokyo from September – November 2019. In the past 4 months, his innovative and wildly successful NFT drops on the Nifty Gateway platform have established him as a leader in the world of crypto art.
With April 1 marking the opening of baseball season, Freeman’s is pleased to offer the Collection of Jeffrey Kenneth Kohn, MD in our April 27 American Furniture, Folk & Decorative Arts auction. The single-owner collection features an array of nineteenth and twentieth century baseball memorabilia. Browse the collection to view a selection of steel baseball glove manufacturing patterns from M. Denkert & Company, assemblage displays of catcher’s masks, bats and balls, and other novelty items.
An American Craft: The Making of Baseball History
Lot 234 | A collection of ten steel baseball glove manufacturing patterns, M. Denkert & Company, $5,000-8,000
Denkert gloves were endorsed by some of Major League baseball’s most famous players including Stan Musial, Mickey Mantle, Phil Rizzuto, Bobby Richardson, Bobby Brown, Charlie Keller, Pee Wee Reese, Gil Hodges, and Moose Skowron.
Lot 235 | A collection of ten steel baseball glove manufacturing patterns, M. Denkert & Company, $5,000-8,000
Freeman’s will offer two lots of manufacturing patterns from M. Denkert & Company, each featuring a collection of ten forms.
“We see a lot in these baseball glove patterns. They represent a behind the scenes step in the manufacture of a 20th century icon. Each pattern possesses deep sculptural appeal. That appeal comes with the many back stories of American mass production and the making of the American game.
Lot 242 | A baseball assemblage: including hand-made iron catcher’s mask, ring-turned and red and black-painted bat heightened with gold and a red, white and blue canvas baseball, mounted for display, bat possibly Pennsylvania, first half 20th century, $1,500-2,500
The April Americana online auction consists of over 850 lots of quality American furniture, decorative and folk art, and paintings from the 18th through early 20th centuries. The sale is gathered from collections built over decades, property from private collectors, talented members of the trade, and institutions; the auction contains breadth and depth and will give buyers quite a bit to look at, linger over, and love.
The Judi & Cy Stellmach Americana Collection
Skinner is honored to be offering Judi and Cy Stellmach’s well-known collection as a centerpiece of the April sale. The collection is defined by a rustic aesthetic of mellow, old surfaces, lovingly worn textiles, and early paint. All of it was collected and curated with care and a talented eye for design into the three-quarter cape house in Stafford Springs, Connecticut that the Stellmachs bought in 2002 (in, fittingly, intact antique condition). The collection is replete with objects defined by phrases like “unrestored,” “natural surface,” “as-is,” “original red,” and “make-do,” and which celebrate the collectors’ love of early craft and New England ingenuity. The collection appeared in the Winter 2020 issue of A Simple Life Magazine, an article in which Judi credits John Kirk’s 1975 work, The Impecunious Collector’s Guide to American Antiques, as an inspiration. That book changed the antiques business upon its publication and shaped Judi’s approach from that point. Kirk’s influence is evident throughout—in the furniture, the antique and primitive lighting, the well-used household goods, and in recognition of the charming and sometimes poignant refusal of early New Englanders never to throw anything away.
Property from the Collection of Donald Ballou Reid
Also giving the sale an early focus is property from the collection of Donald Ballou Reid, from his 18th century property called Butternut Farm in Glastonbury, Connecticut. He filled the farmhouse with period antiques, many made or used in Connecticut—painted tall chests and blanket chests, banister-back chairs, bottles, brass, and early lighting. Wall boxes and small cupboards populated the walls, alongside oil landscapes and early portraiture, needleworks, and 18th century prints.
Property of Historic Deerfield
Skinner is once again pleased to be working with Historic Deerfield in the deaccessioning of property, the sale proceeds of which benefit the Historic Deerfield Museum Collections Fund. The consignment consists of a very nice group of 18th furniture—cupboards (both slant-back and corner), blanket chests (one in a bright blue color), early painted tables, and a Windsor comb-back armchair of fine quality. Smalls include carved birds, early lighting, a good burl bowl, and an especially nice horse and sulky weathervane. Rounding out the group is a varied and interesting collection of schoolgirl needleworks and watercolors.
Furniture
Furniture in the sale ranges from formal urban and “high country” furniture to more primitive pieces made by rural cabinetmakers. Leading the category are a fine Chippendale Block-front desk made in Massachusetts, c. 1760-80, a half-sideboard by talented Vermont cabinetmaker Rufus Norton (who was responsible for only two known works until the discovery of this piece), and a tall clock by Bridgewater, Massachusetts, maker Samuel Rogers, whose works are seldom found. A contrast between old and new is drawn in two pieces of bedroom furniture—a red/brown-painted and carved chest of drawers with scrolled and valanced skirt by the Dunlap family of New Hampshire, and a carved tiger maple version made by the shop of 20th century Hingham cabinetmaker Eldred Wheeler, whose furniture has been well competed for in recent years. Chairs, case furniture, candlestands, and worktables in all shapes and styles, mainly from New England, are represented well.
Rare Chippendale Carved Mahogany Block-front Slant-lid Desk, Boston, c. 1760-80. Provenance: William Greenleaf Boardman collection. Lot 1579, Estimate: $15,000-25,000
Mochaware
A collection of a few dozen pieces of mocha and other slip-decorated wares is led by examples exceptional for their size, their exuberant decoration, or their design, or all in combination. Standouts include a very modern-looking covered jug in bold black and blue bands, a monumental barrel-form pitcher with pressed and checkered designs, and three pieces with desirable “fan” decoration: a pepper pot, pint mug, and creamer.
Large Slip-decorated Covered Cider Jug, England, early 19th century. Lot 1562, Estimate $800-1,200
Smalls
Led by a Paul Revere Tablespoon having a possible association with the Spooner family of Boston and a rare George Washington inaugural button, the sale’s small objects and decorations are varied and appealing. There is 18th century Chinese export porcelain, early 19th creamware, and mid-19th century redware and stoneware. A handful of weathervanes are led by a nice early horse and rider example and an impressive large stag, c. 1930.
Paul Revere Jr. Silver Tablespoon, Boston, Massachusetts, c. 1785. Lot 1510, Estimate: $8,000-12,000
Folk Art
Color shows strongly through the folk art offered in the sale—a brightly painted ice cream shop sign, several game boards including a vibrant and graphic ring toss game, a group of carved birds by renowned 20th century New Hampshire carver Jess Blackstone, two figural fraktur, painted boxes, and a variety of portraits, landscapes, and watercolors by unknown artists.
Previews & Catalogs & Events
We invite you to preview items, ask questions of our specialists, and learn more about the auction process at Skinner. Appointments are required to ensure safety and health; please contact 508.970.3200 or [email protected].
Americana specialists Stephen Fletcher, Chris Barber, and Christopher Fox will be leading an informal virtual tour of highlights for the April auction, brimming with impressive examples of American craftsmanship. The Skinner team will highlight items from the current auction, with information on the objects and their collectors, and answer participant questions. Join us live on Zoom Wednesday, April 7 at 5PM. Register here.
Poised to Set a World Auction Record for the Reference
Held in Private Hands for More Than a Decade
Patek Philippe A unique, exceptional and historically highly important 18K gold automatic perpetual calendar wristwatch with English calendar, leap year indication and ‘no moon phase’, Ref. 3448J, manufactured in 1970 Estimate: HK$24.8 Million – 40 Million/ US$3.1 Million – 5 Million
Hong Kong – Christie’s is honoured to debut [A Patek Philippe Icon] at auction in Asia – Alan Banbery’s Unique Patek Philippe Reference 3448J ‘No Moon Phase’ with Prototype Leap Year Indication (estimate: HK$24.8 Million – 40 Million/ US$3.1 Million – 5 Million). This work of art was presented by Henri and Philippe Stern to Alan Banbery in 1975, is now one of the most legendary wristwatches associated with Patek Philippe, and is poised to set a world auction record for the reference when offered this May.
Alexandre Bigler, Vice President and Head of Watches, Christie’s Asia Pacific, commented, “Following the phenomenal success of the sale of Patek Philippe [l’Heure Bleue] Ref. 2523 in Autumn 2019 and ‘The Titanium and Ruby Collections’ last year in Hong Kong, we are proud to present Alan Banbery’s iconic yellow gold 3448 perpetual calendar wristwatch to lead our watches live auction this May. To the true connoisseur of important vintage wristwatches, the mere mention of the name ‘Banbery’ brings the unmistakable and instantly recognisable minimalist aesthetic of this unique reference 3448 immediately to mind. This sale will undoubtedly provide the world’s most discerning collectors with a rare opportunity to acquire a timepiece of almost mythical status, demonstrating Christie’s continued market leadership in offering the most valuable Patek Philippe timepieces at auction.”
What Makes Alan Banbery’s Reference 3448 So Unique and Important?
Exceptional Provenance: A legend in his own lifetime, Alan Banbery was, apart from the family-run Patek Philippe company’s owners – the great Henri and Philippe Stern, perhaps the most influential figure at Patek Philippe in the second half of the 20th Century. He joined the company as Director of Sales for English-speaking territories in 1965, and throughout his almost 40-year illustrious journey with the brand, helped the Stern family preserve and collect historic Patek Philippe watches and other horological masterpieces. With his guidance in making acquisitions, the collection became so outstanding that it culminated in the opening of the Patek Philippe Museum in Geneva in 2001, after which Alan Banbery retired.
In celebration of his 10th anniversary with Patek Philippe and as a token of appreciation for his achievements and devotion to the firm, Henri and Philippe Stern directly gifted the present reference 3448 to Alan Banbery in 1975, which he kept personally for almost 25 years.
Documented Uniqueness: The reference 3448 automatic perpetual calendar with moon phase indication is one of the most desirable Patek Philippe classic models from the 1960s – 1970s. This Alan Banbery wristwatch is a stand-alone watch among all reference 3448s, for it is the only fully provenanced, fully documented, specially commissioned example of ‘No Moon Phase’ with a leap year indication on the dial. The unique mechanical conversion work of removing the moon phase disk to permit the display of a leap-year indication with a special set of small hands, is recorded as having been done by Patek Philippe’s master watchmaker Max Berney, with the centre of the case back engraved with the famous ‘AB’ monogram for Alan Banbery.
Extraordinary Craftsmanship: Reference 3448, introduced to the market in 1962, was at the time the first self-winding perpetual calendar wristwatch. It was fitted with the celebrated caliber 27-460, among the most sophisticated and lavish automatic movements ever made. According to literature, a total of only 586 pieces were made over two decades of production that ceased in the late 1980s, with the majority in yellow gold cases. Only around 130 were cased in white gold, 2 in platinum and 1 in pink gold are known to exist to date.
Lot 42: Everard Digby, trans. William Percy, The Compleat Swimmer or the Art of Swimming, first edition, London, 1658. Estimate $6,000 to $9,000.Lot 46: Albrecht Dürer, Alberti Dureri Clarissimi Pictoris et Geometrae de Symmetria Partium in Rectis Formios Humanorum Corporum Libro, Nuremberg, 1532. Estimate $5,000 to $7,000.
Lot 160: Sigmund Freud, Die Traumdeutung [Interpretation of Dreams], first edition, Leipzig & Vienna, 1900. Estimate $6,000 to $8,000.Lot 163: Thomas Geminus, Compendiosa Totius Anatomie Delineatio, first edition, London, 1545. Estimate $7,000 to $9,000.Lot 162: Fries Lorenz, Der Spiegel der Artzney, Strasbourg, 1529. Estimate $15,000 to $20,000.
Lot 202: Nicolaus Copernicus, De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, second edition, Basel, 1566. Estimate $60,000 to $80,000.Lot 205: Euclid, The Elements of Geometrie, first complete edition in English, London, 1570. Estimate $30,000 to $40,000.Lot 220: Martin Frobenius Ledermüller, Amusement Microscopique tant pour l’Esprit, que pour les Yeux, first edition in French, Nuremburg, 1764, 1766, 1768. Estimate $6,000 to $8,000.Lot 248: Johann Zahn, Oculus Artificialis Teledioptricus sive Telescopium, first edition, Wurzburg, 1685-1686. Estimate $8,000 to $10,000.
Lot 257: Aller Gustin Ellis, archive of photographs, journals, and ephemera of a pathologist, doctor, and professor, Thailand, 1923-1938. Estimate $500 to $750.
What You Need to Know on Auction Day
This auction will be held live and conducted remotely.
There will not be bidding in the room, though we accept order bids, and interested buyers will be able to participate live via the Swann Galleries App. The app is available in the App Store and on Google Play, which can also be accessed on a desktop at live.swanngalleries.com.
Please note: phone bidding registrations will close the day before the sale at 4pm.
At this time, our exhibition and auction location at 104 East 25th Street is closed to the public. Private viewings are available by appointment only, and must be arranged in advance. To make an appointment please contact the specialist.
New York Sale on 8 April to be Led by A Complete Portfolio of
William Eggleston’s Graceland
Auction to Also Feature A Group of Important Photographs by Robert Frank from Celebrated Cinematographer Robert Richardson and Writer Monona Wali
Five Works on Offer from the Former Owners of New York’s
Gotham Bar & Grill, including Hiroshi Sugimoto’s World Trade Center
William Eggleston William Eggleston’s Graceland, 1983 Estimate: $180,000 – $280,000 Two prints from the complete portfolio of eleven illustrated
NEW YORK – 16 MARCH 2021 – On 8 April, Phillips’ Photographs auction will bring together over 250 lots by some of the most influential photographers of the past century. The sale, which will be livestreamed from the New York saleroom, will offer collectors the chance to acquire rare-to-market photographs from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
Sarah Krueger, Head of Photographs, New York, said, “Over the past year, the demand for exceptional photographs has increased, and Phillips’ April auction will provide our enthusiastic international collecting community with the opportunity to bid on a diverse group of works that span over 150 years of the medium – from Martin Lawrence’s Self-Portrait daguerreotypeof the 1850s to remarkable works from the present century.”
Richard AvedonDovima with elephants, Evening dress by Dior, Cirque d’Hiver, Paris, August, 1955Estimate $150,000 – 250,000
William Eggleston’s Graceland, the dynamic suite of eleven photographs of Elvis Presley’s famous mansion in Memphis, Tennessee, leads the sale. The images were made in 1983 after the musician’s estate invited Eggleston to photograph the property. While Eggleston’s highly-personal, anti-monumental approach to photography made him a counterintuitive choice for the estate, his status as a native Memphian, his deep connections to the Memphis music scene, and his explorations of the American South made him ideally suited to the project. The resulting images, masterfully rendered in the saturated colors of the dye transfer process, show Eggleston working at the peak of his talents and present a remarkable document of this shrine to an American icon. Intact portfolios of Eggleston’s Graceland rarely come to auction; one was last offered in 2013. Additional dye transfer works by Eggleston to be offered in the April sale include Near Jackson Mississippi and Sumner, Mississippi, both circa 1970.
André KertészNature Morte, Chez Mondrian, 1926Estimate $150,000 – 250,000
A large print of Richard Avedon’s Dovima with elephants, Evening dress by Dior, Cirque d’Hiver, Paris, August is among the top lots of the auction. Presented here in the 20 by 24 in. format, this image has become one of the most iconic from Avedon’s oeuvre. From the inception of his career, first at Harper’s Bazaar and later at Vogue, Avedon challenged the norms for editorial photography and his fashion work gained recognition for its seemingly effortless energy. Avedon viewed the making and production of photographs as a performance, creating images that are simultaneously intensely clear, yet deeply mysterious. Of Dovima with elephants, Avedonsaid, “I saw the elephants under an enormous skylight and in a second I knew. I then had to find the right dress and I knew there was a potential here for a kind of dream image.”
A rare, early print of André Kertész’s Nature Morte, Chez Mondrian will also be on offer. This work figured importantly in Kertész’s early career and has since become a signature image within his body of work. Its deceptively simple composition belies Kertész’s placement of found objects precisely placed within the frame, his deft use of negative space, and his unique ability to imbue quotidian objects with poetic mystery. It is one of several remarkable domestic still-lifes and studio views by Kertész that collectively create a portrait of the Dutch painter, Piet Mondrian. Other Modernist works include an Alfred Stieglitz Equivalent and several photographs by Man Ray.
Robert FrankTrolley – New Orleans, 1955Estimate $150,000 – 250,000
Robert Frank’s Trolley – New Orleans is the definitive work from his seminal series, The Americans. Beginning in 1955, Frank made several cross-country trips funded by a succession of modest Guggenheim grants to photograph America.What Frank saw on his travels was a country enjoying post-war prosperity but deeply riven by racial and class divisions. Nowhere in Frank’s work are these divisions more apparent than in Trolley—New Orleans, which was chosen as the cover illustration for the first American edition of The Americans in 1959. The print offered here is distinguished by its large format, high level of detail, and for its direct line of provenance, having been acquired from Frank by the present owner around 1980.
Robert FrankU. S. 90, En Route to Del Rio, Texas, 1955Estimate $100,000 – 150,000Photographs from the Collection ofRobert Richardson and Monona Wali
Phillips is pleased to offer a select group of seminal Robert Frank photographs from the collection of cinematographer Robert Richardson and writer, filmmaker, and teacher Monona Wali. Among works from the collection are Political Rally – Chicago;Parade – Hoboken, New Jersey; and U. S. 90, En Route to Del Rio, Texas, a poignant image of Frank’s wife Mary and their two small children, Andrea and Pablo, parked alongside a lonesome stretch of Texas highway. Richardson, a three-time Academy Award winner who has worked with such acclaimed directors as Martin Scorsese, Quentin Tarantino, Oliver Stone, and Errol Morris, says that Frank was a crucial influence: “He taught me with his precise vision how to look upon an America that others could not, would not, or were unable to see. Many call him a documentary photographer; I see that perspective, but I also see vastly more. I see and feel the subjective point of view of a master; in my mind, the master.”
Another notable collection includes property from the former owners of the Michelin-star-recipient Gotham Bar & Grill in Manhattan. The five works on offer, including Hiroshi Sugimoto’s, World Trade Center, 1997, were all on display in the dining room up until the restaurant’s closing in 2020.
An early, signed lifetime print by Diane Arbus, Peaches Palmer, Stripper in Dressing Room. Atlantic City, N.J., 1963, will be included in the sale. Additionally on offer are seven notable later prints, printed by Neil Selkirk, including Woman with a veil on Fifth Avenue, N.Y.C., 1968.
Gerhard Richter12.9.94, 1994Estimate $30,000 – 50,000
A strong selection of postwar and contemporary photography will also be on offer, including Andy Warhol’s Holly Solomon, a strip of photobooth images of the legendary gallerist and collector that documents the collaboration of two seminal figures in 20th century art. Warhol’s starting point for his large-scale canvases in the early 1960s was a photobooth portrait, and he and Solomon met at an arcade on 47th Street and Broadway to lay the groundwork for such a work. Once the ideal booth had been selected, Warhol left Solomon alone to perform for the camera as she saw fit. Solomon had studied with legendary acting teacher Lee Strasberg and she used this training to summon a vast array of expressions, poses, and characters for the mechanically operated camera which took four exposures per strip. Each of the strip’s images synthesizes Solomon’s exuberant intelligence and Warhol’s adventurous embrace of populist media, creating a tour-de-force of art, process, and personality.
Andy WarholHolly Solomon, 1963-1964Estimate $15,000-25,000
The contemporary section of the April Photographs auction will proudly place 20th century masters alongside artists whose secondary markets are still emerging. Among the contemporary highlights of the auction are two of Gerhard Richter’s overpainted photographs, including 12.9.94, three oversized photogravures of flowers from Robert Mapplethorpe, large and small format prints from Sally Mann’s Immediate Family series, Alec Soth’s Charles, Vasa, Minnesota, Hank Willis Thomas’ Your Skin Has The Power To Protect You, and Kudzanai Chiurai’s Revelations V from State of the Nation. Richard Misrach’s Untitled #704-03 isfrom his On the Beach series which features spectacular aerial views of the sea and beach that convey the vulnerability and preciousness of life.
The cover of the printed catalogue features Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Lightning Fields, 236, 2009. Inspired by the achievements of scientists such as Benjamin Franklin, Michael Faraday, and William Henry Fox Talbot, Sugimoto recreated and adapted their experiments by applying electricity directly to unexposed film. The photograph is distinctly elemental in both process and visual impact, resembling trees, rivers, and other natural forms. This is complimented by Robert Adams’s Blanca Colorado, 1967, on the back cover. Adams has famously documented the urban sprawl of the American West over his decades-long career, and this is a seminal example. In addition to the cover, the auction includes 7 other works by Sugimoto, showcasing a depth of work from his series Dioramas, Seascapes, Architecture, and the aforementioned Lightning Fields.
Hiroshi Sugimoto World Trade Center, 1997 Estimate: $60,000-80,000 Property from the former owners of the Gotham Bar & Grill, Where the Work was Displayed Until the Restaurant’s Closing in 2020
An Architectural Masterpiece by CartierA Diamond and Rock Crystal Bangle-Bracelet featuring a phenomenal 63.66-carat pear-shaped white diamond2,000 hours in the making, the jewel pays tribute to Cartier’s Iconic Art Deco CreationsA Jadeite Bangle – The “Circle of Happiness”“A true treasure of nature” weighing 277.673 carats
This April, Sotheby’s Hong Kong will present for saletwo breathtaking bangles, each representing in their very own way the pinnacle of bangle design. The first is a diamond and rock crystal bangle-bracelet combining the legendary artistry and craftmanship of Cartier with a phenomenal 63.66-carat pear-shaped internally flawless white diamond (est. HK$40,000,000-65,000,000 / US$5,160,000-8,390,000), the second, a sensational jadeite bangle weighing 277.673 carats and described by the SSEF laboratory as “a true treasure of nature” (estimate upon request).
The Magnificent Jewels sale, which will take place on 20 April, is also distinguished by a wide range of signed jewellery, comprising half of the total offered lots. Celebrating craftsmanship, iconic designs, and treasures of the nature, the sale will present an impressive jewellery selection from the houses of Boucheron, Bulgari, Cartier, Chanel, Chopard, Graff, Harry Winston, Hermes, Sotheby’s Diamonds, Van Cleef & Arpels and more.
The appetite for high-quality jewels has never been stronger in Asia, with discerning collectors looking for rare diamonds and gemstones, as well as unique and iconic designs. The star lot of the sale, the unique diamond and rock crystal bangle-bracelet by Cartier combines a phenomenal diamond, mesmerizing design and impeccable craftsmanship, and represents a high jewellery collectible that will shine through time.
WENHAO YU, DEPUTY CHAIRMAN, JEWELLERY, SOTHEBY’S ASIA
Star Lot of the Season – Diamond and Rock Crystal Bangle-Bracelet by Cartier
A DIAMOND AND ROCK CRYSTAL BANGLE-BRACELET BY CARTIER (EST. HK$40,000,000-65,000,000 / US$5,160,000-8,390,000)
Synonymous with the term ‘iconic’ in the world of jewellery, Cartier is celebrated for its exemplary collections such as Panthère de Cartier and Tutti Frutti, but the most coveted of all is their high jewellery collection.
Since the early 19th century, highly collectable diamonds and gemstones have been elevated into magnificent jewels on passing through the French maison. Enigmatic stones that bear witness to the origin of the world are reimagined and transformed into creations that shake up the conventions of high jewelry.
Taking nearly 2,000 hours to create, the DIAMOND AND ROCK CRYSTAL BANGLE-BRACELET from the High Jewellery collection “L’Odyssée de Cartier – Parcours d’un Style” pays homage to an Art Deco inspiration and features a 63.66 carat D color, internally flawless diamond set amongst rock crystal, a type of quartz celebrated for its ice-like allure. The innovative marriage of materials creates a dialogue between two colourless gemstones complementing one another in a subtle yet palpable manner, giving the design a stylistic feature full of imaginative flair and immeasurable character.
In fact, the use of rock crystal has been made popular since the 1920s by jewellers such as Louis Cartier, who was considered a pioneer in working with the material. Cartier utilized a polishing technique from the Renaissance period to give a soft shine to rock crystal which, when paired with a diamond, creates an intriguing light effect, working in harmony yet providing texturized depth and modern contrast (Estimate: HK$40,000,000-65,000,000 / US$5,160,000-8,390,000).
Exceptional Jadeites
JADEITE HIGHLIGHTS FROM SOTHEBY’S MAGNIFICENT JEWELS SPRING SALE 2021. (STYLING AND PHOTOGRAPHY: OLIVIA TSANG. MODEL: ZELIA ZHONG)
Following the strong results for jadeite achieved last year, this season’s sale will continue to offer a captivating selection of extraordinary “Type A” jadeite jewellery in conventional shapes, alongside elegant designs by contemporary designers including Wallace Chan and FORMS.
‘CIRCLE OF HAPPINESS’ – AN EXCEPTIONAL JADEITE BANGLE (ESTIMATE UPON REQUEST)
Leading the jadeite selection is ‘Circle of Happiness’ – an Exceptional Jadeite Bangle symbolizing a perfected unity and wholesome fulfillment. Considered “a true treasure of nature” by SSEF, the bangle weighs an impressive 277.673 carats and carries a subtle range of green to vivid green colours that is characteristic of the finest green jadeite-jade from Burma (Myanmar), with an outstanding translucency that, when illuminated by a light source, results in a glowing effect.
Partnership with Celebrity Photographer Olivia Tsang and Model Zelia Zhong
This season, Sotheby’s has partnered with celebrity photographer and stylist Olivia Tsang(@oliviatsanghk) and modelZelia Zhong (@zelia) on its Spring 2021 jewellery photography campaign.
The charm of an auction house is how they curate a collection that is not only iconic but rare. It was a time-travelling and eye-opening experience to handle these exceptional jewels.
Bonhams has appointed Leslie Wright as Chairman, North America, overseeing Fine Arts, Luxury Lifestyle and Collectibles.
Leslie joined the company in 1994. She single-handedly built the US Trust and Estates team from ground up and has been a key factor for establishing its high reputation among the estate planning community both in the US and internationally. She has been involved in the consignment of many of the major estates Bonhams has sold, including the Silverman Museum Collection and the Estate of Onnalee Doheny. In November 2020, another of Wright’s consignments, Einige Spitzen (Several Points) by the Russian artist Wassily Kandinsky sold for $3,270,313 at Bonhams Impressionist and Modern Art Sale in New York.
In 2008, Wright assumed responsibility for Bonhams West Coast team where the region has developed exponentially. She has also added new sale categories, most recently Western Art and during the past year successfully led the company’s response to the challenge of the Covid-19 pandemic by transforming the traditional auction sales model to hybrid sales and by growing sales online.
Bonhams CEO Bruno Vinciguerra said: “Leslie has played a crucial leadership role in Bonhams in the US for many years, bonding together the company’s east and west coast operations and helping to extend its footprint and reputation across the whole country. Her new position recognizes her pivotal place in Bonhams’ future development.”
Leslie Wright commented: “It is a great privilege to lead Bonhams to the next step in the US. Bonhams is the most wonderful company. It has a fantastic team of specialists whose expertise constantly astounds me and which will enable us to go from strength to strength.”
Pop Art takes its name from the integration of commercialized popular culture into art—it is closely associated with the New York art scene starting in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Pop Art was, in part, a response to the dominant movement preceding it: Abstract Expressionism. The AbEx artists such as Pollock, de Kooning, Frankenthaler, and Rothko rejected traditional representational art as elitist. In their view, most traditional art required viewers to have a sophisticated knowledge of history, religious iconography, literature, and classical mythology.
Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987) Chicken ‘n Dumplings, from Campbell’s Soup II, 1969. Sold for $12,300 in January 2016.
Pop Art reintroduced representation into art but with a twist. Subject matter was culled from popular culture, so it could be readily understood by the average viewer. Works based on familiar, even mundane, subjects were instantly recognized thanks to the increasingly widespread mediums of advertising, movies, and television that overtook American culture in the late 1950s. Print-making was especially important to Pop Artists, as it reflected our culture’s shift towards mass production, and the lower prices garnered by prints and multiples meant Pop Art was not just more easily understood by a wider audience, but also more readily collected. The works often incorporate a sense of joy, whimsy, and humor. Not surprisingly, Pop Art, has found a renewed audience in and after 2020.
Andy Warhol is the best known of the Pop artists. His simple, linear style grew out of his work as an advertising illustrator, and often includes manipulated photographic images. His subjects ranged from the most mundane objects to the most glamorous figures in Hollywood. Quickly executed, bright, and eye-catching, Warhol’s images of Campbell’s Soup Cans, Marilyn Monroe, and Liz Taylor are still iconic.
Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987) Liz, 1964. Sold for $39,975 in September 2017.
Roy Lichtenstein was also a Pop star. He wasn’t interested in advertising or Hollywood glamour. His art borrowed its visual vocabulary from a very different aspect of popular culture: the comic book. Works like Shipboard Girl and Foot and Hand employ the black outlines, primary colors, and Ben-Day dots typical of comic books and the Sunday funny papers. Lichtenstein sometimes even includes speech balloons and thought bubbles in his compositions. Each work expresses a vignette of a larger narrative that is easily comprehended, and which fires the viewer’s imagination as to the rest of the story.
Roy Lichtenstein (American, 1923-1997) Shipboard Girl, 1965. Sold for $29,520 in May, 2018.Roy Lichtenstein (American, 1923-1997) Foot and Hand, 1964. Sold for $5,875 in September 2006.
Robert Indiana didn’t depend on figures and settings to express his ideas. He was even more clear: he used words. His iconic LOVE from the late 1960s said it all and expressed the vitality and excitement of love with bright, simple colors, and four large letters. LOVE has become so widely recognized that it has been translated into multiple languages. Indiana even quoted his own work when he used a similar font and color arrangement for HOPE, designed for the 2008 elections.
Robert Indiana (American, 1928-2018) Love, 1967. Sold for $5,535 in May 2020.
Claes Oldenberg’s Pop Art took yet another approach. He depicted everyday household items—a badminton birdie, a cigarette butt, or a spoon—at monumental scale and often in playful ways. A pair of screws might become bowed and enlarged to support a suspension bridge or a plug adapter might become a house.
After Claes Oldenburg (American, b. 1929) Claes Oldenburg at Sidney Janis.
British artist David Hockney may deny that he fits into the Pop Art category, but he is nonetheless as eloquent in this genre as he is in the many other media and styles that he has embraced over his extensive career. Pembroke Studio Interior is almost cartoon-like with its linear design and simple, bright palette. It depicts a spatial experience akin to the work of Picasso, whom Hockney greatly admires. The result is a depiction of familiar everyday subject matter with a strong Pop sensibility.
David Hockney (British, b. 1937) Pembroke Studio Interior, 1984. Sold for $23,370 in May, 2015.
Whether or not Hockney appreciates the Pop pigeonhole, his success, as well as the success of so many artists, has Pop Art to thank. The legacy of Pop shows up in myriad places, including the work of contemporary artists such as Shepard Fairey, Mr. Brainwash, Yayoi Kusama, and Banksy. Pop Art expresses a joy and youthfulness that is just as irresistible today as it was in the 1960s.
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